Faced with a Vigilance probe in the palmolein oil import case, Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday shed the Vigilance department from the bouquet of portfolios held by him.

Faced with a Vigilance probe in the palmolein oil import case, Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday shed the Vigilance department from the bouquet of portfolios held by him.

Chandy took the decision a day after the court ordered the Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau to probe if he had any role in the deal pertaining to import of palmolein in 1992 when he was finance minister in the K Karunakaran government.

"I have total faith in judiciary. I never lose faith in the judical process (even) when something adverse happens to me," he said.

He said revenue minister Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, a senior Congress member in the UDF cabinet, would hold the additional charge of Vigilance.

Special Vigilance judge P K Haneefa had on Monday rejected the report filed by the investigators three months back stating there was no need for further probe to add any more person to the list of the accused.

Chandy, who assumed office on May 18 leading the UDF to victory in the assembly polls, had on Monday offered to step down in the wake of the development but he was dissuaded by leaders of the Congress and UDF constituents.